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New York Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Power Rankings: Tigers. Cubs. Brewers. Sheesh! Plus: second-half storylines to watch
By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results. Ah, the start of the second half. Inexperienced baseball fans pay far too much attention to the first week of the season, but the seasoned nerds among us know that it's the first week of the second half that deserves outsized scrutiny and complaints. There's a gap of almost a full week between real games, which builds the anticipation up like a kinked garden hose. And then, whammo, all the baseball you can handle, and now every game means twice as much. It feels that way, at least. Let's rank powers and see who is up and down to start the second half. Record: 60-41 Last Power Ranking: 2 Second-half storyline: How many of these breakout seasons will last? Twenty-two players have taken at least one plate appearance for the Detroit Tigers this year. Of those 22, seven are on pace for (or have already surpassed) their career high in bWAR. Of those who have not, you have Riley Greene, who is on pace for 4.4 bWAR (still pretty good!) and Javier Báez, for whom — after the last couple of years — 'on pace for 3.2 bWAR' feels kind of like a miracle. Advertisement Let's do the pitchers: 23 (not counting position players) have thrown at least one pitch for Detroit. Of those, you have nine on pace for new career highs. To be fair, that number includes some first-year rookies, but it also includes Tarik Skubal, who won the AL Cy Young Award last year. Of the pitchers who aren't on pace for career highs? Casey Mize, who had a pretty good 2021 but has been mostly derailed by injuries since. Like Báez, his 'on pace for' 2.4 WAR seems like a big win for Detroit. — Levi Weaver Record: 59-41 Last Power Ranking: 4 Second-half storyline: Now if they can just stick the landing… The Cubs have had a lot of things go right in the first half: Pete Crow-Armstrong is a legitimate star, Matthew Boyd is an All-Star, Seiya Suzuki is roughing up opposing pitchers; literally Drew Pomeranz — who, again, last pitched in the big leagues in 2021 — is pitching like a bullpen bully. They've also had some bad luck. Justin Steele is out for the year. Shota Imanaga has also spent some time on the IL. Matt Shaw hasn't fully blossomed. Ian Happ has been good-but-not-great as a leadoff hitter. So it has to feel good to come out of the gate in the second half by winning two of three, laying claim to the best record in the National L— excuse me, what are you guys doing here?!?! — Weaver Record: 59-42 Last Power Ranking: 1 Second-half storyline: Just how much can they get out of Shohei Ohtani (the pitcher)? Before the season started, the idea of Ohtani returning to the mound for the Dodgers seemed like a quaint midseason development. Certainly, they weren't going to need him, and they could use him however they wanted. Then 80 percent of their rotation fell into a wheat thresher, and suddenly he's looking like the best option to start one of the first two games of a postseason series. He just needs to ramp up his strength and go through the command funkiness that every Tommy John recovery comes with. Advertisement No pressure. But also, all of the pressure. Let's get stretched out, and don't stop hitting dingers along the way. — Grant Brisbee Record: 60-40 Last Power Ranking: 10 Second-half storyline: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? There's a philosophical belief that all pain and suffering comes from the inability to let go or release. Whether that be hopes and dreams, people, possessions, desires — the need to cling to whatever you believe will bring you fulfillment is where the problem begins, and true enlightenment comes from understanding the temporal nature of all things, and your relationship to all things (which is also temporal). If you can explain what the Brewers are doing in any simpler terms, I invite you to fill in for me next time I'm responsible for their blurb in these Power Rankings. In last Friday's Windup, I added up the bWAR of 12 former Brewers around the league, and it added up to 14.5 bWAR, or — at the time — the combination of Aaron Judge (7.1) Shohei Ohtani (4.3) and Jacob deGrom (3.1). So maybe they've figured out something the rest of us haven't. Or maybe they'll crash and burn in the second half. For now, after Monday's win over the Mariners, they have the best record in baseball, and it's blowing my mind. — Weaver Record: 57-43 Last Power Ranking: 3 Second-half storyline: Is this the year? The Phillies have been one of the best teams in baseball the past three years, and they're making it four in a row this season. Once again, the Phillies have arguably the best rotation in baseball; their offensive trio of Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner is also among the best. According to FanGraphs, only the Dodgers have meaningfully better World Series odds. But the past three seasons have ended in disappointment, and the Phillies have been eliminated earlier and earlier in the postseason. This is a championship-or-bust era for the Phillies. They've been very good, but they're still missing a ring. Is this the year it changes? And how aggressive will they be at the deadline in pursuit of a championship? — Chad Jennings Record: 55-45 Last Power Ranking: 7 Second-half storyline: What does 'going to town' mean? A little before the All-Star break, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman addressed the team's approach to the trade deadline by saying, 'We're going to town. We're going to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up.' With the Yankees, 'going to town' can mean a pretty big splash. Their farm system isn't great, but they're always a threat to take on salary to make big-ticket acquisitions possible. They've also been, at times, really good this season (at other times, maddeningly inconsistent). Undoubtedly, the Yankees will do something, and probably something substantial. But will it be enough to make them World Series favorites down the stretch? Clearly, they need help. The Yankees got back to the World Series last year but haven't won a championship since 2009. — Jennings Record: 59-41 Last Power Ranking: 8 Second-half storyline: Is this team this good? Pretty basic question, really, but the Blue Jays are a puzzle. A 10-game winning streak in the weeks before the All-Star break boosted them into first place, but as of late May, they were a sub-.500 team with a roughly 70 percent chance of missing the playoffs. Even now, their run differential is somewhere between that of the Reds and Giants, which isn't exactly elite company. The Yankees, Rays and Red Sox have been far better at outscoring their opponents. To be in first place in the AL East is impressive, and usually a sign of a legitimate World Series contender. Should we really think of the Blue Jays that way? And can they do something at the trade deadline to convince us one way or the other? — Jennings Advertisement Record: 58-42 Last Power Ranking: 5 Second-half storyline: Will there be an AL West race? For a second, it looked like the Astros were going to run away with the sucker, leading by as many as seven games in the week before the All-Star break. A brutal homestand against the Guardians and Rangers, followed by a series loss against the Mariners on the road, has changed the calculus. The Mariners aren't nipping at their heels, but they're close enough to start tensing their jaw muscles. They'll need deadline help, and it'll probably be on the offensive side, even though they have nearly a full rotation on the 60-day IL. They'll worry about the pitching, but someone else is going to bring the hitting. — Brisbee Record: 57-44 Last Power Ranking: 6 Second-half storyline: Is the rotation good enough? As of June 13, the Mets had the second-best record in baseball — best in the National League — in large part because of their rotation, which was elite with a 2.78 ERA. No other big league rotation had an ERA below 3.00. Kodai Senga was the league leader in ERA at that point, with David Peterson and Clay Holmes also in the top 20. But the Mets' rotation stumbled in the second half of June and into the All-Star break. Its ERA jumped to 5.31 with Senga and Tylor Megill hurt. Now, Senga is healthy again, Sean Manaea is finally active and Peterson is a first-time All-Star. With Holmes and Frankie Montas, do the Mets have enough starting pitching? If not, does this trade market have the front-end arm that could make a significant difference? — Jennings Record: 54-48 Last Power Ranking: 14 Second-half storyline: Is their outfield a wasted logjam or valuable depth? This storyline could extend into the offseason, but in the short term, it's a fascinating factor in the team's approach to the trade deadline and the final analysis of all that comes after. The Red Sox are an interesting but imperfect team (as evidenced by their stunning Rafael Devers trade in June). They need pitching (again), their first baseman is hurt (again), and their middle infield is a weird combination of talent without immediate results. But their outfield is overflowing, especially since the arrival of top prospect Roman Anthony to play alongside Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. Advertisement The Red Sox could trade from that depth to address a more glaring need. If they do, and someone gets hurt, they'll look suddenly thin. If they don't and miss the playoffs, they will have perhaps missed an opportunity to improve. The ball's in your court, Craig Breslow. — Jennings Record: 53-47 Last Power Ranking: 13 Second-half storyline: Forget the all-time record for catchers — can Big Dumper get to 60 homers? Salvador Pérez holds the record for 48 catcher home runs, a record he set in 2021. Cal Raleigh is just 10 homers behind that with more than 60 games to go. Assuming regular health, that's a record that's as good as broken. Can he get to 60, though? That's much trickier. Every slugger hits a dry patch; Raleigh's just hasn't come yet. Maybe it'll never come, and he's certainly on pace. Another storyline to watch is with the Mariners' postseason chase, but in a way, that's a part of the same storyline. — Brisbee Record: 52-49 Last Power Ranking: 9 Second-half storyline: Is Shane McClanahan the sport's biggest trade deadline addition? No one is suggesting the Rays are going to trade McClanahan, but they should get him back off the IL right around the trade deadline. That's a potential ace joining a team on the playoff bubble. And if McClanahan is at his best, he could push the Rays into a wild card spot with a rotation that should worry everyone — McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Shane Baz — along with a sneaky good offense that's top five in the AL in runs per game. Adding a homegrown ace to fuel a second-half playoff run would be one of the most Rays things imaginable. And it could happen (or they could sell at the deadline and try again next year). — Jennings Record: 55-45 Last Power Ranking: 11 Second-half storyline: Where are the runs going to come from? Advertisement The Padres are a sneaky-awful offensive team. They're ranked 24th in adjusted OPS (OPS+) and have an unadjusted OPS under .700. They've hit just 86 home runs, which is behind the Marlins, Giants and, gasp, Rockies. This is pretty remarkable, considering that Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. have each hit 16 homers or more. They'll hope to get those dingers from Xander Bogaerts, in year X of a billion-year contract, and Jackson Merrill, who is still growing into his power. The real cavalry might come at the deadline, though. You know A.J. Preller won't be idle. — Brisbee Record: 52-49 Last Power Ranking: 12 Second-half storyline: Is Rafael Devers OK? One thing we know about Devers: He has an emotional component to his game. His displeasure with his old organization bled into the start of the regular season, and he was striking out at a record-setting pace. Then he turned his season around with a lot of thumping. Sometimes it takes a bit for his head to clear. – Brisbee This is hardly sabermetrics, but it sure seems like he's in a similar funk with the Giants, who acquired him to single-handedly fix the offense. They were polite about it, but quite insistent. The pressure hasn't helped him, and he's been a dud in his limited time in San Francisco. Back and leg problems might be the culprit more than brain problems, but either way, the Giants still need him. That hasn't changed. — Brisbee Record: 51-50 Last Power Ranking: 17 Second-half storyline: Regression works both ways, doesn't it? The pitching has been extremely good. Maybe a little too good. It wouldn't surprise me if they came back down to earth just a little bit in the second half. The hitting has been extremely bad. Maybe a little too bad. It wouldn't surprise me if they came back to life just a little bit in the second half. Advertisement The problem is that if both of these things happen, it's not going to change their outcome much after a disappointing first half. For this season to be a success in Texas, they will need one order of regression to the mean (offense), hold the regression to the mean (pitching). And it's probably going to need to happen fast. The deadline is nigh. — Weaver Record: 50-51 Last Power Ranking: 16 Second-half storyline: Will they be sellers at the deadline? As always, the Golden Rule of Selling is in play: If you have a lot of good players to trade in a selling effort, it's possible that you have a sneakily good team and don't need to rebuild at all. Patience is more valuable in those situations than prospects. The Diamondbacks are on the fringes of the wild-card race, and they have a lot of pending free agents, so they could go either way. Don't think of it as a rebuild, but an early start to free agency, just with more prospects. This is the likeliest course, but we're still at a stage of the season where a hot week could change everything. — Brisbee Record: 52-49 Last Power Ranking: 18 Second-half storyline: Will they learn from the past two deadlines? If you're not a Reds fan, you might not have noticed that the Reds were pretty good when the deadline came in 2023. They made some minor moves, but nothing splashy, and finished two games out of a wild-card position. Last year, they had a losing record at the deadline, didn't do much, and faded down the stretch, finishing 12 games out. This year is a weird combination of both. Yes, their record is 52-49 but they're only one spot (and 3.5 games) out of the final wild-card position. Will GM Nick Krall seize an opportunity to make a second-half run, or will the team slow-play it again, hoping to build for progress in 2026? — Weaver Advertisement Record: 52-49 Last Power Ranking: 15 Second-half storyline: What kind of team are they? Hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold. Pick an identity, you freaks. The Cardinals got obliterated in their first series out of the break, getting blown out by a Diamondbacks team looking to reestablish itself as a contender. The Cardinals would like to do that, too, building on some of those wins they banked in May. They just might be a mediocre team, though. They have five starters who have made all but two of their starts this season (good) and they all have an ERA over 4.00 (bad). They could go for it, but in the service of what goal? This is the franchise and fan base that knows better than anyone else that every postseason has a Jered Weaver, and you just need to get there to find out who it is. Easier said than done. — Brisbee Record: 49-50 Last Power Ranking: 22 Second-half storyline: Will we see Chase DeLauter this year? Could the Guardians get hot and leapfrog five teams in the second half to make it into the playoffs? Sure, it's mathematically possible. But it's not probable enough to make it my second-half storyline. Instead, I'm curious if we'll get to see DeLauter, who was ripping it up in Triple A before a hand injury that may have delayed a big-league call-up. He's seeing a hand specialist, so when he's healthy, we'll get to see if he extends his on-base streak in Columbus (34 games) or if he'll get a chance to start a new one in Cleveland. Beyond that, the Guardians appear to be slowly sinking into a light sell-off at the deadline. — Weaver Record: 48-52 Last Power Ranking: 19 Second-half storyline: At what point will we have seen enough? It was technically less than a week ago when Dan Hayes' second-half storylines article ran with a headline asking if the Twins were buyers or sellers. Advertisement Well, they're 5-5 in their last 10 games, which doesn't really scream one or the other, but two of those losses were to the Rockies, sooooo it seems like maybe we have our answer? Probably? These are the Twins, though — just as likely to catch a good vibes wave and ride it to a 10-game winning streak as they are to (metaphorically) put their phones on silent and spend a week in bed while the bills pile up. As fun as it would be to see them hit one of those hot streaks in the playoffs, I just don't think this squad has the juice. So when does the front office pull the plug? — Weaver Record: 49-52 Last Power Ranking: 21 Second-half storyline: Who sticks around for next year? Last year, the Royals made the playoffs. They had a sneaky-busy offseason, headlined by the acquisition of Jonathan India from the Reds — finally, a leadoff hitter to get on base ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. India entered last night's action with an on-base percentage of .328, or exactly the same as Eugenio Suárez (but about 250 points lower on slugging). On the upside, Maikel García seems to have put it together, making his first All-Star team and finally turning all that hard contact into productive numbers. Barring some miracle, the Royals won't be repeating last year's October performance. These games are for sussing out the future. Fortunately for the Royals, they can know this in time to make some trades and bolster the farm system, rather than waiting until mid-August to find out. — Weaver Record: 44-55 Last Power Ranking: 20 Second-half storyline: Are two catchers too many? The story of this Braves season seems already written. They're disappointments. Maybe the biggest disappointments in baseball. If they can change that in the second half, it'll be one of the most exciting storylines in the game. But let's not count on that one. Instead, the Braves are probably doing to do some version of selling at the trade deadline Will they trade veteran catcher Sean Murphy, or keep him and find at-bats for both Murphy and rookie Drake Baldwin (in which case, they could trade DH Marcell Ozuna)? This still looks like a talented roster. But what's it going to look like come Aug, 1, and how is that going to impact our expectations heading into 2026? — Jennings Advertisement Record: 49-51 Last Power Ranking: 23 Second-half storyline: What will they get at the deadline? There was a hot minute in April when it looked like Mike Trout had a shot at a second postseason series. Alas. They're not without players to trade, though. They'll keep onto the young players, of course, but they have relievers to interest the masses, from closer Kenley Jansen to lefty Reid Detmers. They've resisted trading their menagerie of Useful Tylers thus far, but this is probably the deadline that changes. The Angels, for the first time in a while, look like they're actually emerging from a morass. Patience. It'll be a couple more seasons, but this deadline could kickstart those efforts. — Brisbee Record: 44-55 Last Power Ranking: 24 Second-half storyline: Something to believe in? This was supposed to be the Orioles' heyday, when their young talent would make them consistent contenders. They won 101 games in 2023, got back to the playoffs last year and their FanGraphs playoff odds were basically identical to the Tigers on Opening Day (perhaps lower than expected due to concerns about their pitching). Instead, the Orioles have been a complete flop, setting the stage for a potentially massive fire sale at the trade deadline (Ryan O'Hearn, Zach Eflin, Cedric Mullins, et al.). Can the Orioles turn a bunch of rentals into meaningful talent? And perhaps more importantly, can their young core perform well enough in the second half to suggest all the hype and expectation is warranted (assuming they don't skimp on pitching in the future). — Jennings Record: 46-53 Last Power Ranking: 25 Second-half storyline: All about Sandy This story is all about the main character. With all due respect to Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez, there's no bigger fish in the Marlins clubhouse than Sandy Alcantara. And after another underwhelming start on Friday, he currently has a 7.14 ERA. Three years ago, he won a Cy Young award, and in two or three years, he's going to be a free agent. Miami has to decide whether to trade him, and some contending team has to decide whether to believe in him. Whether he stays or goes, Alcantara will be the biggest Marlins story of the second half. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 42-60 Last Power Ranking: 27 Second-half storyline: So, how's the ballpark during the Sacramento summer? The A's have scheduled as many night games as possible in the Sacramento heat, but they're limited on Sundays and travel days because of the CBA and ESPN games, and we're about to get into the real Northern California summer. July is for weenies; real heads know that August and especially September is when the heat gets here. That's more of a Bay Area dynamic — it's already been plenty hot in Sacramento — but it still applies. It's a long baseball season for the new turf, too. We'll see if there's any physical fatigue, for players or otherwise, as the months drag on. — Brisbee Record: 40-61 Last Power Ranking: 26 Second-half storyline: Why do we watch baseball, anyway? I mean look, if you're reading a section about the Pirates, it probably means you care about the Pirates, which means you could tell me a half-dozen reasons you'll keep watching their games this year. Paul Skenes is stupid-good at pitching and gets robbed of a loss about every fifth day, which is sad or funny, depending on if you root for Skenes. Oneil Cruz hits the ball 120 miles an hour once in a while (which is neither sad nor funny, unless you are a nervous laugher). Andrew McCutchen is baseball's version of a wizened old monk atop a mountain, and you never know how much longer he'll stick around, so you should take that in while you can. All of these are worthwhile reasons to watch baseball, and I'm not going to tell you otherwise. Life is fleeting, and so very precious, and if watching the Pirates brings you any shred of joy, you should keep doing it. — Weaver Record: 40-60 Last Power Ranking: 28 Second-half storyline: First chapter of a fresh start Advertisement The Nationals already made their biggest decision of the year, firing manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo. They haven't been any better since, but at least they did … something. Last week, they picked first in the draft. Later this month, they'll sell at the deadline (though their valuable chips are few and far between unless they want to trade a trio of potential cornerstones). Whatever happens in the second half, it's all about starting over. The Nationals aren't starting from scratch — James Wood is a pretty good foundation — but they're clearly turning a page. Their second-half storyline is just an introduction to whatever comes next. — Jennings Record: 36-65 Last Power Ranking: 29 Second-half storyline: When does Bears training camp begin? I know what I just said about the Pirates up there. I could lean into that sentiment again here, or we could give equal time to an opposing philosophy, one passed down to us by a 'semi-professional racecar driver and amateur tattoo artist.' It goes like this: 'If you're not first, you're last.' OK, OK, that's terrible advice, but in the case of the White Sox, it has been a while since they were first … or second, or third… The last time they finished anywhere other than last was 2023, but they still lost 100 games that year, so … fourth place in that division still feels pretty last-ish to me. The last time they were respectable? It was also the last time they had a winning record (not counting 1-0 on Opening Day) — they finished second in the AL Central in 2022, losing on the last day to fall to exactly .500 at 81-81. The league that existed on that day did not yet include 14 players who were All-Stars this year. It makes me wonder — not counting Opening Week, when do we think the White Sox will have a winning record again? I'm setting the over/under at May 12, 2028. — Weaver Advertisement Record: 24-76 Last Power Ranking: 30 Second-half storyline: Can they avoid the 2024 White Sox? C'mon, folks. We're all in this together. It can't be possible for a team to set a modern record for losses that stands for just one year. It has to wear that shame for at least another year, but they'd preferably do it for a decade, if not a century. That is simply too many losses for the record to last just a year. Back of the envelope math: The Rockies were 24-75 as of Monday morning, a 39-win pace, breaking the White Sox record by two games. They're 15-20 since the start of June, which is just normal worst-team stuff, not historical worst-team stuff. Keep it up, fellas. — Brisbee (Top photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong: Matt Dirksen / Chicago Cubs / Getty Images)
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Power Rankings: Mets, Guardians end June with gloom; Current trends for each team
By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results. Remember when Blake Snell went on the injured list and the Los Angeles Dodgers' absurdly deep pitching staff began to show some weakness? What was that, four weeks ago? Five weeks ago? (Checks the transactions log…) Advertisement Three months ago! Yes, that sound you hear is the baseball calendar flipping to July. The All-Star break is two weeks away, the trade deadline is a month away and we're beyond the halfway point to Game 162. It's starting to feel like some of these games actually count! April can be misleading, and May can be a month of transition, but June is when we really wrap our heads around what we're seeing. The sample sizes aren't small anymore, and the inevitable shifts toward contention — we're looking at you, Braves and Rangers — stop feeling so certain. For this week's Power Rankings, we look at where each team was trending in June, from the boring to the surging to downright confusing. Record: 53-32 Last Power Ranking: 1 June trend: Boring (the good kind) The Dodgers have a big lead in the NL West again. They're at the top of these rankings again. I'm not sure when The Athletic's first power rankings were, but my guess is that the Dodgers were at the top of those, too. The oldest ones I could find in my own archives were from 2021, and they started with this sentence: Like you were expecting a different team up here. Indeed. A month-by-month trend? The Dodgers don't mess with those. They're on the decade-by-decade plan, and they're still trending up, somehow, even though they can't really pitch. — Grant Brisbee Record: 53-32 Last Power Ranking: 3 June trend: A deep October run We've discussed repeatedly all the things that have gone right for the Tigers this year. Some of them — Spencer Torkelson's breakout, Riley Greene outpacing last year's All-Star campaign, Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres being significant contributors — come with questions of sustainability, sure. But it's a long list, and it has rocketed the Tigers to the top of the AL. Surely not all of those coaches will turn into pumpkins, even if Wenceel Pérez isn't likely to keep his OPS north of 1.000 for the rest of the year. Advertisement But one thing is not in question: Tarik Skubal is an ace's ace. If Detroit can get back into the playoffs — and right now, Baseball Reference says there's a 99.6 percent chance of it happening — the Tigers have the potential to steamroll the rest of the AL field en route to a World Series. — Levi Weaver Record: 48-36 Last Power Ranking: 4 June trend: Catchable As of June 3, the Yankees had a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League East. The best AL team was a pretty clear toss-up between the Yankees and Tigers, and the Yankees had separated themselves from a deep division. In the past month, though, the Yankees have hovered right around .500 while the Rays and Blue Jays have closed the gap to make the AL East a legitimate competition. The Yankees still have playoff odds well above 90 percent — and they still have Aaron Judge, though his June was more very good than historically elite — but they're no longer a singular force in the division or the American League. — Chad Jennings Record: 50-35 Last Power Ranking: 2 June trend: Advantageous The Phillies weren't great in June, but as the Mets fell apart and the Braves continued to spin their tires, the Phillies did enough to take control of the NL East. They moved into first place on the strength of their pitching, with Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez taking their turns leading this deep rotation that's also been able to lean heavily on Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. The Phillies moved atop the division mostly without Bryce Harper, whose return puts the lineup back at full strength alongside Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. — Jennings Record: 50-34 Last Power Ranking: 7 June trend: Dominance Reports of the Astros' demise were greatly exaggerated, and now they're running away with the AL West behind an unexpected pitching-and-Jeremy-Peña strategy (which hit a roadbump on Monday). There are other contributors, obviously, but Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and a mostly untouchable bullpen are behind much of the recent winning. Advertisement The Astros aren't scoring as many runs as, oh, the Marlins or Nationals, so there is work to be done if they want to keep coasting to the postseason. That can all be addressed at the deadline, though. For now, they're rolling. — Brisbee Record: 49-35 Last Power Ranking: 6 June trend: Repaving the way We've all agreed by now that 2020 was a pseudo-season, right? 60 games? I mean, it's always better to win than to lose, but even the Dodgers were like 'Yeahhhhhh, cool, but we'd also like a real one.' So the Cubs haven't been division champs for real since 2017, the year after they won the World Series. Clearly, this is a different team. Not only was Pete Crow-Armstrong 15 years old that year, but there's only one player on this year's team — Ian Happ — who played even one big-league game with the Cubs. This is an all-new Cubs team, thriving on its own strength and not the rapidly decaying nostalgia of yesteryear. The Cubs have hit a mini-slump of late, going 4-6 in their last 10 and an even .500 in June while the Brewers, Cardinals and Reds all surged. But the talent appears to be there. It's not time to worry yet. — Weaver Record: 48-37 Last Power Ranking: 5 June trend: Roller coaster As of June 12, the Mets had won six straight and 15 of 18. They were dominant, with a comfortable lead in an NL East expected to be a dogfight. But June 13 began a seven-game losing streak — which started a stretch in which they lost 10 of 11 — and over the weekend, the Mets were swept by the Pirates to finish 12-15 in June. Juan Soto was awesome (highest wRC+ in baseball for the month), but Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill and Kodai Senga went on the IL, straining a rotation that had been an unexpected strength, and the Phillies moved ahead of the Mets in the division. Early June showed how good the Mets can be, but late June showed something else entirely. — Jennings Record: 47-38 Last Power Ranking: 9 June trend: Rays-ish The Rays were not very good last year, and weren't very good in April, either. But they were a little better in May, and their June was about as good as any team in baseball. In other words, the Rays are back! Yandy Díaz is hitting again, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero look like emerging lynchpins, and Ha-Seong Kim could make his organizational debut soon. The Rays pitching has been more good than elite — and they actually have a full rotation instead of a bunch of openers — but the result has been a typically good-if-anonymous Tampa Bay team that's not simply in the mix for a wild card, but also climbing within striking distance of the Yankees for first place in the American League East. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 45-40 Last Power Ranking: 8 June trend: Super weird, man The Giants made their biggest trade in decades, then turned around and used their new superstar to defeat the team he came from. There's momentum, and then there's momentum. They had pure, undistilled momentum – the premium stuff – and they were going to ride it all the way to the World Series, baby. Except the Giants took all that momentum and used it to get their butts kicked by the Marlins and White Sox. In conclusion, June is a land of contrasts, and maybe momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. The Giants are still as hard to read as they were before the season even started. — Brisbee Record: 45-39 Last Power Ranking: 11 June trend: Unremarkable The Padres are beating the teams they should beat, winning recent home series against the Royals and Nationals, while struggling on the road against divisional opponents. They've outscored the Dodgers in seven games this season – 37 runs scored to just 35 allowed – but they've only won two of those games, which seems hard to do. Their June was nothing but a placeholder for the month that will actually tell you if the Padres are good enough to make the Dodgers sweat. As of now, they're not nearly as close as they should be. — Brisbee Record: 47-37 Last Power Ranking: 10 June trend: Moooommmmmm, they're doing it againnnnn!! We do this every year now. The Brewers lose a star player, a manager, a front office executive, and we think: 'Well, that's going to be the load-bearing wall that brings the whole thing crashing down.' And then every September, we look up, and this Frankenstein monster of castoffs and hole-pluggers is standing on the boat bound for October, waving back at those teams whose well-laid plans simply did not pan out. Advertisement The Brewers went 16-9 in June. That's the best record in June for the entire NL, and trails only the Astros (19-7) for best in baseball. At some point, it should cease to be surprising. Not yet, though. I'm still pleasantly mystified every time. — Weaver Record: 47-39 Last Power Ranking: 14 June trend: Boring, finally The Cardinals were lousy in April. Then they were one of the hottest teams in baseball for May. Now they're somewhere in the middle. So who are the real Cardinals? All of the above. They're probably not as bad or as good as they were in the first two months, respectively, which means their June trend is that of an ordinary team having ordinary successes and failures. A couple more Mays, and they'll win the division easily, but that doesn't mean it's likely or even possible. (Also, that last sentence applied to the Giants throughout the 1960s.) — Brisbee Record: 46-38 Last Power Ranking: 12 June trend: Relevance It's a two-month trend, really. This was supposed to be an era of greatness for the Blue Jays — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette in their primes, a rotation built over time, more investments this offseason — but they haven't won a playoff game since 2016, and they finished well below .500 last year and April was more of the same. But the Blue Jays have played their way back into the wild card race (and they're at least in the conversation for the division) since May. Alejandro Kirk and José Berríos have been excellent, and over the weekend, the Jays clinched their season series against the Red Sox. The Blue Jays are not exactly front-runners, but they're not afterthoughts either, and their June was good enough to take control of a wild-card spot. — Jennings Record: 44-41 Last Power Ranking: 19 June trend: … also relevance? Advertisement The Reds went 15-10 in June. Elly De La Cruz got hot. Chase Burns debuted and looked unbothered in his first start (though let's ignore his second start on Monday, because whew). Andrew Abbott appears to be a legit top-of-the-rotation starter. Jose Trevino is hitting nearly .300 and has an OPS in the .800s. Spencer Steer hit three home runs in a game that saw Nick Martinez take a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Emilio Pagán has been almost untouchable this month. Now, imagine a healthy Hunter Greene and maybe even a healthy Rhett Lowder joining the rotation in the second half. If they can pick up a bat or two at the deadline, I kinda like the Reds to be a sneak-into-the-playoffs wild-card team. — Weaver Record: 44-40 Last Power Ranking: 13 June trend: Depends on which June you're talking about here The Mariners began June in first place, with a 31-26 record. Ten games into the month, they stood at 33-34 and four games out. The skid has stopped, and they've cobbled together a winning record since then, but they're still losing ground to the absurdly hot Astros. So the Mariners don't have a June trend, per se, as much as they have an understanding that baseball, like life, can come at you quickly. The franchise has been aware of this particular quirk of the sport for about 50 years now, so no one can feign surprise. So far, it's all added up to a very Mariners season, yet again. — Brisbee Record: 38-45 Last Power Ranking: 17 June trend: Reality Last week was the Braves in a nutshell. It started with Chris Sale going on the injured list, after which the Braves actually won a couple before losing three straight — all in the division — culminating in a blowout loss to the Phillies. A lopsided win on Saturday gave them a chance to win a series against Philly, but they lost Sunday's game by a run. Advertisement The end result: a losing record for the week against the two teams currently in control of the NL East. Flashes of the talent that made the Braves preseason favorites, but ultimately the reality of why they're below .500 with playoff odds that were in free fall for much of June. There's enough talent to believe in this team — especially now that Spencer Strider is pitching well again — but it's July 1, and the Braves just don't have the record to support such blind faith. — Jennings Record: 42-42 Last Power Ranking: 15 June trend: Same ol', same ol' The Diamondbacks can hit the snot out of the ball. They led the sport in runs scored last year, and they have the third-highest total in baseball this year. It's been good enough for fourth place so far. They'll need to prevent runs if they're going to make the postseason, which was also the book on them entering this year. They spent a lot of money to address this problem, but they ended up right back where they started. The last team to lead its league in runs in consecutive seasons without making the playoffs was the 2015-2016 Rockies. There are better role models for an NL West team to follow. — Brisbee Record: 41-44 Last Power Ranking: 20 June trend: A species of fear I didn't expect to quote Rene Descartes in the Power Rankings, but this quote — from 'Passions of the Soul' — seems to fit this year's Texas Rangers: 'Indecision is also a species of fear that, holding the soul, as it were, in suspense between several actions it might carry out, causes it to perform none of them, and thus gives it the time to make a proper choice before opting for one of them. In which respect, it is genuinely of some use. But when it lasts longer than it should, and causes us to squander on deliberation the time we need in order to act, it is very bad.' Advertisement The Rangers have spent three months in conflict with themselves, deliberating which aspect — the Octoberish pitching or the deadline-selloffish hitting — will be their defining trait. They still look capable of winning or losing ~87 games. Figure it out, fellas. — Weaver Record: 42-44 Last Power Ranking: 16 June trend: Mediocrity April was pretty good, May was pretty bad and June was pretty meh. A hot streak, then a losing streak. Pull above .500, then fall back below. Top prospect Roman Anthony was promoted from Triple-A, and less than a week later, face-of-the-franchise Rafael Devers was traded to San Francisco. The Red Sox have settled in as the fourth-best team in a predictably deep division, and the past month suggested that's about where they belong. Not awful, but not great. Can the return of Alex Bregman and the season debut of Masataka Yoshida make a difference? Will they buy or sell at the deadline? Fair questions, but the team isn't exactly trending toward definitive answers. — Jennings Record: 40-44 Last Power Ranking: 21 June trend: Disaster imminent! Or maybe another 13-game winning streak! Who knows!!!! After a red-hot May (18-8), the Twins went 9-18 in June. Add in an 0-4 March and a 13-14 April, and you have a team that — much like last year — just can't seem to be normal. Did you know that the Twins have made the playoffs seven times in the past 20 years and have gone a combined 1-21 in the postseason? With players like Byron Buxton and Harrison Bader (both 31 years old), Carlos Correa (30), and Chris Paddack, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Pablo López (all 29), you could make the argument that the Twins could hope for another second-half hot streak. And if it doesn't work out? Ehhhh, no big deal, let's reload for 2026. Advertisement But if this core is this predisposed to extreme streakiness (and never in October), is it time to consider tearing it down and rebuilding with more consistent building blocks? — Weaver Record: 40-42 Last Power Ranking: 18 June trend: Irrelevance? Over the last 10 years, the Guardians have made the playoffs six times. On the four occasions in which they missed it, they finished second in the division three times and third place once. They're in second place right now, too — but that's only because the Twins and Royals have somehow been worse in June (and the White Sox had a head start on losing games). Check out these June records in the AL Central: Detroit: 15-11 (.577) White Sox: 10-16 (.385) Guardians: 9-16 (.360) Twins: 9-18 (.333) Royals: 8-18 (.308) How depressing. Anyway, the Guardians haven't hit and their pitching hasn't been able to save them. They're still within shouting distance of a wild-card position, but they're going to have to get back to 'Guards Ball.'— Weaver Record: 39-46 Last Power Ranking: 22 June trend: One step back The stories of the Tigers and Royals were twin flames last year — two AL Central teams ascending from the mire to claim a surprise playoff spot. But while the Tigers have continued to improve this year, the Royals look more like the 2023 squad that finished 56-106. OK, they're not quite that bad. But they're definitely not on pace to hit last year's 86-win mark, either. Two encouraging signs: going into Monday night's game against the Mariners, Kansas City's starting pitchers still ranked in a tie for sixth-best ERA in the sport (with the Yankees, 3.41). Maikel Garcia is finally having a breakout season, and Bobby Witt Jr. is still very good (and only 25). Alas, that hasn't translated into many wins, especially recently. — Weaver Advertisement Record: 41-42 Last Power Ranking: 23 June trend: Hope? Honest to goodness hope? The Angels are in the postseason picture. They're in the back of the picture, and you have to zoom in until everything is super pixelated, but they're back there. They're kind of making a funny face, but they're not doing it on purpose. They just didn't know they were going to be in the picture. Let me start over. The Angels are in the postseason picture, and they got there with a strong June. They're hovering around .500, so let's not go nuts with the expectations, but they're happy to be there. After the dreadful April they had, and considering they've still been outscored by about 50 runs on the season, they still have plenty to prove. But the obvious preseason picks, such as the Braves, would love to be in their position. That's something, right? — Brisbee Record: 37-47 Last Power Ranking: 24 June trend: Too little, too late The fact is, the Orioles weren't bad in June. Winning record. Swept the Mariners and Angels. Scored 22 runs in a game against the Rays. Gunnar Henderson had his best month of the year, Jordan Westburg got healthy, and Adley Rutschman was really good (before he got hurt). Charlie Morton even pitched well! But what good does that do for a team that won only nine games in April and only nine more in May? At this point, the Orioles' playoff odds have been stuck in single digits for almost two months. So, what should we make of a decent June? It's kept them from being truly awful, but the trade deadline is a month away, and that's surely not enough time to avoid being sellers. — Jennings Record: 36-50 Last Power Ranking: 26 June trend: A late mirage With Monday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals, the Pirates did a couple of things. Advertisement First, at 14-13, they had their first winning month since last year's mirage, which carried on into July. Second, it was their fourth straight win by seven or more runs. Per the Pirates' broadcast crew, that's their longest such stretch since 1925. 1925! The Pirates haven't been good lately, but counting that 1925 season, they're 4-1 in World Series appearances since then! Alas, when they break this record again someday, researchers won't have the satisfying conclusion of '1925? Oh yeah, they won the World Series that year, that tracks.' Instead, they'll look back and go, 'They did that in 2025? The year they couldn't even win all those Paul Skenes starts? Baseball is weird, man.' — Weaver Record: 37-45 Last Power Ranking: 27 June trend: Meh I mean, look, the Marlins had a winning record last month. Their run differential was pretty close to even, Otto Lopez was great, Kyle Stowers kept putting up good numbers, and Sandy Alcantara finally had a decent month (especially if you ignore his last start). The Marlins even moved out of last place. It was good. But still. Meh. The Marlins won a ton last week, so they're trending upward, but the season already is what it is. A decent month and a really good week count as a meaningful high point, but the bigger picture is still just … the Marlins. — Jennings Record: 35-49 Last Power Ranking: 25 June trend: Bottom of the barrel The worst record in June? You might assume the Rockies or the White Sox, or maybe you noticed a team like the Royals falling fast and would wonder if they were the worst. But, no, it was the Nationals. Coming off a winning record in May — when they actually moved up to third place in the division — the Nationals plummeted in May, falling behind even the Marlins to last place in the NL East. CJ Abrams, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore kept playing well, but the team as a whole fell apart. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 35-52 Last Power Ranking: 27 June trend: Regular bad, not historically bad Whew. It was getting really ugly there for a bit. The A's gave up 195 runs in May, which was one of the worst performances from any pitching staff in any month over the last quarter-century. Actually, three of the 10 worst pitching months since 2000 belong to the A's. I wonder if there's some sort of common thread, like ownership, that could partially explain that. Some things will just have to remain a mystery! The A's pitching this month has been just regular bad, which is good, because Sacramento isn't about to get cooler over the next couple months. Say what you want about the status or direction of the franchise, but A's pitchers don't deserve to have the deck stacked against them even more than it already is. Just let them be a regular-bad pitching staff in peace. — Brisbee Record: 28-56 Last Power Ranking: 29 June trend: I mean, the only way left is up, right? The White Sox had the division's second-best record in June. Sure, it was 10-16, but considering they were 5-21 in April (and 9-19 last June), this is technically an improvement, right? And after spending almost every week in the No. 30 spot in the power rankings last year, they've consistently finished in 29th this year. Hey, did you know that Adrian Houser has a 2.93 ERA in five starts in June, and Dan Altavilla, Steven Wilson and Tyler Gilbert have combined to allow one earned run in 18 innings out of the bullpen? I don't know if this is relevant or helpful. I just got bored with telling you how bad the White Sox are. — Weaver Record: 19-65 Last Power Ranking: 30 June trend: Bad, but not historically awful Some teams would feel uncomfortable with a trend of 'bad, but not historically awful,' but not the Rockies. They're trending upward, and how. They were just 2-10 at Coors Field in June, but they finished with an 8-6 record on the road, which means they might have just had their best road month in years. Heck, that might be enough to be a top-10 road month in franchise history. Advertisement You have to understand that such a thing will not be researched by me for the last capsule in a very long power ranking that nobody will actually read to the end. But I'd like to imagine it's the start of a new franchise-wide trend that will last for a decade. The Rockies? They're just better on the road. Everyone knows that. And it all started in June 2025. — Brisbee (Top photo of Steven Kwan: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle Mariners Slip 2 Spots In MLB Power Rankings
Seattle Mariners Slip 2 Spots In MLB Power Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the Seattle Mariners are trying to stay relevant in the American League West Division race, they look to Cal Raleigh to help lead them to some postseason play. Advertisement Sure, it might be early to talk about AL postseason spots. But Seattle needs to have more than just Raleigh to help make it a reality. The Mariners slipped from No. 11 to No. 13 in the latest MLB Power Rankings released by The Athletic. What's the current situation revolving around Seattle? Grant Brisbee of The Athletic offers a big-picture look at the situation that the Mariners find themselves in right now. "The Mariners didn't do much to address their offensive woes in the offseason, getting Donovan Solano and Miles Mastrobuoni and little else," Brisbee wrote. "Their biggest offseason acquisition might have been Rowdy Tellez, both literally and figuratively, but he's since been designated for assignment. Cal Raleigh's great season is playing a big part in keeping Seattle Mariners in the hunt "If you pointed this out before the season, nobody was going to retort with, 'Oh, yeah? Well, maybe Big Dumper hits 60 homers this season, you ever think about that?'" Brisbee wrote. Seattle fans, of course, know that "Big Dumper" is Raleigh's nickname. Advertisement "It's a valid response now, though, as Raleigh's nonsensical power surge is carrying the Mariners and single-handedly keeping them relevant in the division," Brisbee wrote. "They'll need others besides Raleigh (and J.P. Crawford) to contribute, but the biggest reason the Mariners still have a shot at winning the AL West is a catcher doing things that catchers shouldn't do." Raleigh is currently hitting .278 with 32 home runs and 68 RBIs. The Mariners' offense revolves around him. As Brisbee pointed out, though, Seattle needs more from his teammates. Tellez was supposed to provide a big bat for the Mariners' offense. Obviously, that did not work out. Seattle stormed to the AL West lead early this season, only to see it gone after some losses piled up. Guess who's back leading the division again? None other than the Houston Astros. For the Mariners to keep pace, Seattle manager Dan Wilson needs to get a functional lineup out on the field every game. It's going to take some work for Seattle to get the job done this season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
On the Giants' offensive woes, similarities to 2010s teams, Justin Verlander and more
Grant Brisbee discussed the offensive struggles for various Giants' hitters, whether they should move on from Justin Verlander, if this Giants team is similar to the 2010 championship era clubs and various other Giants topics during a wide-ranging live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers on Wednesday. Advertisement Here are some highlights from Wednesday's live discussion. To see answers to more Giants questions, read the full Q&A. (Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length.) How much do hitting coaches impact results? I mean, so many guys are struggling — Patrick Bailey, Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames, Tyler Fitzgerald. Is it just a coincidence or is there something systemic going on (coaches, Oracle, team approach)? — Alex X. I've been asked about Pat Burrell a lot, and my only answer is that the job of a hitting coach is tough to untangle from the results. It's about taking information and packaging it to different personalities. It's about taking data from the eggheads and translating it into ballplayer-speak. It's about noticing things on your own, then combining them with the inputs from everyone else in the organization, including the players themselves. What it isn't is a PitchCom-like device in the batter's ear that reminds him of all this at the appropriate time. The attack plans are set, but it's the hitters that have to execute them. Is it possible that a different voice, a different way of synthesizing data and kinesiology would work better? Absolutely. But there's no way I can claim it's something that Burrell lacks because I don't have any idea. All I know is there was a lot of discourse about Donnie Ecker taking the secrets of hitting to Texas when he left, especially after they won the World Series. He's without a job now. So he's either a hitting guru, unemployable, or somewhere in the middle. What's happening with Jung Hoo Lee? He looked like he might be a budding star earlier this year. Just an extended slump or something more? — Damon B. My article about what the Giants can do to fix their offense actually started as a ranking of which struggling hitters had the best chance of rebounding, so I've been thinking about this a bit. It's probably worthy of its own article, but the short version is I think he'll just go through stretches like this. It's the curse of an average-dependent hitter, and we've seen enough of him to know that he's neither a home run machine nor a walk machine. Sometimes the balls will land, and sometimes they won't. His expected batting average is still good, and he both fields and runs well enough to give him positive value, even when he's slumping. Advertisement Does anyone know what's up with Patrick Bailey's swing/approach? Is there chatter about it being fixable? Love him behind the dish but if he could have consistently competitive ABs, it would make the lineup so much deeper. — Matthew S. The bad news is that when you look at what hitters are supposed to do at the plate, Bailey is far below average at all of it. He chases, he whiffs, he makes weaker contact than his peers, he doesn't barrel the ball, and he has below-average bat speed. The good news is that some of this wasn't under water last season. He had an above-average exit velocity. He wasn't chasing nearly as much. That makes me think it has to do with his approach. If you're a broken middle-aged person with a head filled with only Simpsons references, it feels he's thinking 'Dig up, stupid,' in every plate appearance, trying to aggressively swing his way out of the slump. The better news is that he doesn't have to hit much better to contribute. If he can just be a solidly below-average hitter behind the plate, he'll still be valuable. In the 2010s, the Giants sometimes had a hard time scoring runs but my memory is the pitching staff felt like it was their responsibility to keep the team in games and be able to win with only 1 or 2 runs of support. Do you get the sense that this is a part of the current pitching staff's philosophy? Have pitchers expressed that the team can lean on them while the offense finds its footing? Or has the game changed? Are offenses too powerful for this to be a realistic approach? — No username The 2010 Giants, specifically, had a much better offense than they got credit for. Their final form, with Cody Ross and Pat Burrell, was a hard lineup to get through. They had a lot more power than people remember. The Dodger Stadium 'Donnie Two-Times' game was a perfect example. They came back with home runs and it didn't seem that weird. My suspicion is that if the Giants were scoring more runs, the pitching staff would be roughly as effective. It's tempting to imagine everyone pitching to the score, but once you get into the 1 v. 1 situation of a batter-vs.-pitcher battle, my guess is that a lot of the in-game context fades away. They're just trying to keep their mechanics sound and execute the pitches that are called, whether it's a scoreless game or a blowout. Advertisement How to do you rate Bob Melvin this season? The clubhouse and culture seem strong, but how is his handling of the bullpen and lineups? Also does he need to call Matt Williams into his office like Tommy in Goodfellas? — Roman P. I almost never judge a manager on his lineups, so we'll toss that one out. The clubhouse/culture seems pointed in the same direction, and I actually understand most of his bullpen moves. One thing to know about the bullpen is Melvin isn't just looking at appearances as the only proxy for how rested a player is; if a pitcher has gotten ready in the bullpen, that counts too, even if he never gets in the game. I asked him something about Erik Miller's relatively light workload earlier this year, and he stopped me to point out that he was often warming up to face batters who didn't end up hitting that inning. He had a workload that was closer to regular than it looked, but it just didn't show up in the box scores. As for Williams, the Giants are (yet again) toward the bottom of the league when it comes to runners getting thrown out at the plate. He ain't going anywhere. It's just a very visible job where you're guaranteed to look silly every so often. Is there any playbook for moving on from Justin Verlander or is he untouchable given his career? He's pitching like a No. 5-6 starter for a team with a lot of better options at the 5 slot even after losing Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. — Kyle F. With Harrison gone, I'm not sure the Giants are as flush with options. Carson Whisenhunt isn't pitching that well in Triple A, and the Giants have a lot of arms on the 40-man roster, but none of them so exciting that they can force Verlander out of the rotation on reputation alone. I don't think he's untouchable, but I do think there's still upside with him that's worth chasing, especially without another option that's unambiguously preferable right now.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Live Q&A with Giants beat writer Grant Brisbee on June 25 at 11am PT
June 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM EDT The Giants are in-it-to-win-it with Rafael Devers. Will he be enough to get them into the postseason? Will the Giants finally have a 30-homer hitter? How will the infield project over the next couple of seasons? You have many questions. Grant Brisbee has the answers. Join him for a live Q&A on Wednesday, June 25 at 11am PT. Grant Brisbee June 25, 2025 12:00 pm EDT
